My 20% project is finally completed so let me analyze the learning I have accomplished over the last six weeks! I will start by answering some of my initial questions I had posited before beginning with this assignment starting with what is the best baked good for a newbie like me to start out with? I think brownies are the best because they have very little ingredients and can be made in almost any pan size it will just effect their baking time. I really didn't need any complicated tools for baking pretty much just a couple of mixing bowls, spatulas, my hands, and various baking pans. You don't need anything complicated to start baking most recipes can be easily created. I stuck with basic all purpose flour which worked for every recipe and utilized margarine or applesauce instead of butter to be on the healthier side. My wife was my test subject and most of my baked goods ended up tasting pretty but had a hiccup or two when it came to texture which I then learned from. This project really showed me how difficult baking can be if you do not follow the recipe exactly, but to my credit every change I made was trying to make the recipe healthier. I think the key ingredient that is the hardest to change/substitute is butter. Butter just makes everything a little fluffier, softer, and in the end just plain tastes better. Utilizing applesauce works but doesn't give a baked good the same flavor as butter would in its stead. It also can make batter a little more watery which then mean baking it for longer which if not constantly managed can make a baked good much more dry on the outside and possibly burn a little. I think the best two baked goods I made were my pretzels and my brownies which is ironic because the brownies were the first baked good I made and pretzels are probably not the first thing people think of when it comes to a baked good. I wanted to create something more complex like a pie or cake but when I looked up how to make pie dough or cake I realized the amount of fat required was far too high for me to substitute butter and hope that It would come out anything close to real pie crust. In all honesty it would have been a brick like texture and then I thought of using a Graham cracker crust but that is mostly used in pies that are cream based which does not fit in with my diet. Overall it was a really fun experience and I think my baking skills definitely improved but I still think I am probably a better cook than baker due to the ease of changing ingredients when cooking versus baking. I have a greater respect for the science based around the exact amounts needed to create a perfect outcome. This kind of brought me back to my chemistry days utilizing Stoichiometry to balance reactions which I never thought of when it came to baking. I think in the end what I realized is butter is amazing and makes everything better, much to my chagrin.
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I have decided to go the route of home baking because my wife is an amazing cook because she is non rigid in her cooking. I however am a very rigid person when it comes to most things, understanding what I need to do exactly to hone a cylinder on my motorcycle or creating a clutch pack. This is where my cooking abilities come in, baking is more of a science than it is an art and exact measurements are required. This is where being an anal retentive person actually comes in handy. I am excited to experiment with baking and hopefully become a great baker and can share these experiences with my wife as well as having our cohort taste test hopefully more successes than failures. Having started college originally a biochemistry major I feel that using my originally science base brain towards baking will be great experience in learning. This experience will also bring me closer to my family because as a child I was the helper in the kitchen for my grandmother, mother, and aunt when they would bake. This is something I would like to pass on to my future children because as I child I loved being their baking assistant, even though most of the time I was completing simple tasks (Granted child Bryan could not be trusted with anything complex in the kitchen.) I am super excited in following in my monarchs foot steps and learn more about the amazing world of baking!
After a long week of trying to come up with project ideas I was finally able to narrow it down to two. The first project idea is something I have been wanting to do for a long time which is creating sushi. I went to a friends house about a year ago and he had a full spread of various rolls and sashimi that was amazing. My second project idea is learning to bake from scratch. I was inspired to do so because my wife is an amazing chef but anytime we tried to bake it never really worked well. Also I get to bring in my attempts for all of the class to share! Option 1:
My first option came to me due to my love of sushi which I get most weeks when my wife and I go out for our date night. I have many friends in the restaurant industry that have made awesome creations at home and have encouraged me to learn. I know after a short time I won't be making amazing sushi (or sushi rice for that matter) but it would be great to learn and entertain friends or just make a special dinner for my lovely wife. 1. Where will I be able to find sashimi grade fish at a mostly affordable price? 2. Is there a certain type of company that makes great and affordable knifes? 3. Where will I get any additional ingredients that might only be available in certain stores? 4. How much vinegar is required to make sticky rice? 5. What is the best portal to learn how to make a sushi creation? (I mean for self learning not a class.) 6. Will I have the time to properly prepare certain fish with marinades traditionally used? 7. Who will be the first person to try my creations? 8. How will I allow my progress to be judged? 9. Will I use organic/wild caught fish or a normally farmed fish? 10. Will Jeff give me more points if I feed him said sushi creations? Option 2: When I was a child my grandmother, mother, and aunt all used to make massive amounts of Christmas cookies as gifts for friends and family. With my grandmother passed away and my aunt moving to a different part of California they rarely get to make cookies so I think it would be a great tradition for me to keep for my family. I will learn the basics of baking from scratch and then apply them next Christmas and give the cookies to my mother and aunt. 1. What basic kitchen tools will I need to bake these homemade creations? 2. Is there a certain brand of flour or yeast that works best for baking? 3. Will I want to stick to just creating cookies or will I want to branch to cake/pie as well? 4. Should I use recipes found online or use my families traditional recipes? 5. Will I need to purchase a stand mixer or some other mechanized device? 6. How will I judge my progress as a baker? (Probably with my fellow candidates and my wife) 7. Can I use margarine instead of butter when baking? 8. Whats the best sweet to create for beginning bakers? 9. Could I also bake dog treats? 10. Will Jeff give me more points if I feed him said baking creations? |
AuthorWelcome to my baking experience! Hopefully you learn some cool tips! Archives
April 2016
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